Brentwood (20 page)

Ted looked up and without hesitation replied, “I’d buy the house back and give it to Dad!”

“Thanks!” said Marjorie with starry eyes. “That’s the way I feel. Now, brother, do I belong to the family or not?”

“You belong!” said Ted solemnly.

“All right!” said Marjorie. “I appreciate that. And now, suppose we keep this to ourselves for a while, shall we?”

“Okay!” said the boy solemnly as they went up the steps of the home, and only a quick smile passed between them to ratify the contract, but both knew that something fine and sweet had happened.

I
’ve got to go into the city and do a little shopping,” said Marjorie the next morning. “I wonder when would be the best time for me to go? What had you planned for this morning, Betty?”

“I?
Planned
?” Betty said with a shrug. “Nothing especially. But I couldn’t go with you today, if that’s what you mean. Mother isn’t able to look after those kids. They were awful yesterday!”

“Of course not,” said Marjorie. “I wasn’t thinking of our trip together yet. But isn’t there some special work to do today that I could help in? Isn’t Monday your washday?”

“Oh,
that!
” said Betty with a sigh. “We haven’t much to wash, and that’s the truth. I had to wash a lot of the children’s things yesterday after the cat episode. No, there’s nothing you need to help with. You go. I should think you’d be glad to get out of this crowded mess.”

“No, I’m not glad to get away. I just must do a few things at once. I’ve got to make some telephone calls, too. I came away in a great hurry and left a lot of things at loose ends. I really must attend to them. But I’ll be back in the afternoon as early as I can. There’s plenty of chicken broth for Mother, and I’ll try and find something nice for dinner and bring it.”

“Oh, you don’t need to buy anything else. We’ve enough in the house for a week, I’m sure,” protested Betty.

“Oh, you’ll find it will go fast enough. Well, I’m sorry to leave you this way. I can see there is plenty to be done, but when I get back I’ll make up for lost time.” And with a bright smile, she hurried away into the cold winter morning.

Marjorie went first to the real estate firm whose name had been on the signboard yesterday at Brentwood.

“I’ve come to ask about a house you have for sale in Brentwood,” she said, and the man looked her over keenly, noted her handsome attire, and said “Yes?” in an eager tone.

“That’s a bargain,” he said, “it’s just been thoroughly done over and modernized, and because the owner was caught in the depression, we can sell it for a mere trifle.”

Marjorie let him talk for a few minutes, and then she said, “Could I see the house?”

So she was soon in his car, speeding toward Brentwood.

After she had gone over the house without comment, allowing the man to continue his sales pitch without interruption, she said as they were about to leave, “Well, now, I may as well tell you, I am Mr. Gay’s daughter. I was away for several years during the time my father lived here, and I had never seen the house. I know all the circumstances of my father’s having to give up the house, of course, and I know how they hated to lose it. I have been wondering if there is any way in which my father can recover the house. Can you tell me the lowest terms on which he could recover it?”

The man’s face fell.

“Oh, in that case you had better see Mr. Horgan. He has charge of all those cases. But I am quite sure that mortgage was foreclosed. We had to take over the house at a great loss, you know. I do not think that our firm could place any confidence in your father as one who could carry on and make his payments. He is not as young as he once was, you know, and even if he succeeded in getting a position now, it might not last.”

“I was not speaking of putting a mortgage on the place. I was speaking of paying cash. As I understand it, my father had only lapsed in his payments a short time. If he were ready now to pay up all obligations, and whatever other expenses you had been obligated to meet, isn’t there some way that the matter could be settled and the property be taken off your hands?”

“Why, my dear young lady,” said the man patronizingly, “what reason do you have to suppose that your father could pay his obligations now any better than six months ago when he finally surrendered the property?”

“When you finally took the property from him, you mean,” she said coolly. “I understand you gave him no chance to refinance the mortgage and that you were very hard on him indeed. However, that has nothing to do with my question. I have some money myself, and I would like to clear my father’s home and put the deed in his hands for a Christmas gift if I find that your demands are within reason. I shall call up my Chicago lawyer, of course, and have the whole affair looked into before I pay the cash, but if I do this, I shall want to do whatever I do quickly. Can you give me an idea what the demands were that my father could not fulfill, and would there be a likelihood, if they were paid now, with reasonable interest, of course, for the delay, that you could release the property?”

There was something about Marjorie’s air of assurance that impressed the real estate man, who had been having a hard time himself just now and felt that in this property he was stuck with a house too large to realize its full value during the present depressed state of things. He looked at her a minute questioningly and then he said, “Well, we’ll go and see Mr. Horgan. Perhaps he will know of some arrangement that can be made. It is very commendable of you, of course, to be willing to help your father, and I’m sure Mr. Horgan will want to help in any way he can. Of course, you have been misinformed about the transaction. Your father was given every possible opportunity to recover himself.”

He said it with a smug smile, and Marjorie felt that she needed a very wary lawyer indeed to deal with this man. But she said nothing, and the quick drive back to the office was taken almost in silence on her part.

Mr. Horgan was an elderly man with gray hair parted meticulously in the exact middle and thin lips that seemed never to give an advantage to anyone. He had small steel-colored eyes that looked coldly through her, and he tried to put her through a questionnaire about her family before he answered her question. But Marjorie held her head haughtily, and, gathering her expensive furs about her, rose.

“Excuse me, Mr. Horgan,” she said, “I have no time to answer questions. I want to know if there is any way in which my father can now meet the obligations. Perhaps I had better get my Chicago lawyer to attend to the matter, since you do not seem willing to name any sum that would satisfy the demands.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” said Mr. Horgan, rising in protest, “I was merely interested to know just how sure a thing this would be. I can’t, of course, enter into any more contracts that will eventually result in the same disaster and throw the property back on our hands again, with only more cost and delay.”

“If I decide to do this thing,” said Marjorie, drawing herself to her full height and trying to act as grown up as possible—though in reality she was very much scared—“I will see that you have a certified check for the full amount within the week.”

Marjorie knew about certified checks. She knew their power.

Mr. Horgan became suave at once.

“Oh, well, in that case, of course everything would be different. You know, of course, that the sum was quite large that your father was owing, do you not?” And he sailed into details of interest and principal and personal bond, while Marjorie stood her ground and tried to look cool and businesslike and not tremble.

“I would have to talk this matter over with my partner, of course, for usually, you know, we do not do things in just this way,” went on Mr. Horgan. “The matter was formally settled up and the property handed over. But, since you are willing to pay cash, we might find a way to get around the regular routine in such cases. It would be, however, you understand, at least—” And he named a sum so much smaller than Marjorie had dreamed that she was almost afraid she showed how surprised she was. However, she had the good sense to keep still and merely bow her head gravely, and the man was left in doubt whether she was horrified at the amount or pleased.

“Of course, after we have looked over the figures of the actual cost to ourselves,” he went on smoothly with a smile which was meant to be patronizing, “we
might
be able to do a little better than that, if you found that was impossible, but I’m inclined to think
if
we find that we can make terms at all, it will be in the neighborhood of the sum I have named.”

“Very well,” said Marjorie, taking a deep breath and hoping the man couldn’t see how excited she was, “I will get my lawyer on the telephone and consult with him about this. He will know what I should do about it, and I shall either return sometime this afternoon for your answer or send a representative of my Chicago lawyer to talk with you.”

Marjorie, still holding her head high, sailed out of the office coolly, with only an icy little smile for the impressed agent. He bowed her out ostentatiously, almost afraid to have her go lest he was losing a prospect that perhaps never would return.

Marjorie, out on the pavement, summoning a taxi, found herself so excited that she could scarcely give a direction to the driver.

She had gotten from Betty a list of some of the best department stores, and she went straight to one and hunted up a telephone booth, calling the Wetherill lawyer long distance.

“Well, I certainly am glad to hear your voice, young lady,” said Mr. Melbourne, “I was beginning to think you had eloped or been kidnapped or something. A certain gentleman in Chicago has besieged me night and day to discover your address so that he may send you Christmas greetings, he says, and I have been deeply chagrined that I could not give it to him. Where in the world have you been, and what are you up to? Nothing the matter, is there, that you take such an expensive way of communication?”

“No, nothing the matter,” said Marjorie. “I’m quite all right, thank you. But I telephone this morning instead of waiting to write because I want your help. I’ve found the house that used to belong to my own parents and I want to buy it. I want very much to get possession of it before Christmas if I can. I shall need several thousand dollars at once and I would like to have you put it into some bank in this city where I could draw on it within a couple of days. Would that be possible?”

“I suppose it would,” said the lawyer. “I could wire it to them today. But are you quite sure this house is a wise buy? It’s my business, you know, to advise you in such matters.”

“I know,” she said, “but I’m quite sure about this. And even if it were not a wise buy, I should want it. But, Mr. Melbourne, of course I know I’m not very experienced in buying real estate, and I was wondering if there isn’t some lawyer in this city to whom you could recommend me, who would take charge of this transaction for me? I think perhaps these people who have the house are a little tricky. It certainly seems crooked to me, the way they got possession of the property when my father was unable to pay the interest on the mortgage promptly.”

“Yes?” said Mr. Melbourne. “Well, you certainly should have someone whom you can trust to look after the affair. Let me think. Yes, there’s William Bryant. He’s in the Federal Trust Company Building. I’ll call him up right away and ask him to look after you. Could you go to his office at once? All right, I’ll phone him about you. He’s a very good friend of mine. In case he isn’t in the office, just ask for whoever is taking his place. I’ll talk to whoever is there. You can trust Will Bryant or his representatives perfectly. If I were you, I’d have him go to see this house and look into the whole matter carefully before you make your final settlement.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Melbourne!” said Marjorie in a relieved voice. “That was just what I wanted! I have wished so much that you could be here for a little while and fix this thing up for me.”

“Well, I wish I could. I’ve an important case coming up today and tomorrow that I couldn’t leave or I’d fly down and see what you’re up to. But I’m sure Bryant will look after you just as well as I could, and perhaps a little better, seeing he is a local man. And by the way, Marjorie, I don’t suppose you have any idea of selling your Chicago property, have you? Because I had a very good offer for it last week. Professor with a family coming to the university next fall. He’s been scouting around looking for an ideal home and has pitched upon the Wetherill house. I told him I didn’t think it was in the market, but I would inquire. He’s keen to get it. Of course, I hope you’re not thinking of leaving Chicago, but I thought perhaps you might feel the house was rather large since you’re alone. However, it’s not a matter you need decide at once. Think it over and let me know if you should have any idea of selling.”

“Oh!” said Marjorie, a little breathless. “I hadn’t got that far yet. I don’t quite know what I am going to do.”

“Of course,” said the lawyer. He thought he knew pretty well that she would likely be married before long and would have to consult a certain young man before she made any decisions, but he did not voice any such idea. “I just thought I’d mention it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Melbourne. And—please, Mr. Melbourne, you won’t let anybody, not
any
body I mean, know about this matter of my buying this house. I don’t see that it’s anyone’s affair but my own.”

“Certainly not, my child. You can trust me for that.”

“Thank you. I knew I could. And now, you’ll need my address, of course. There isn’t any telephone in the house where I am visiting, but I stopped at the nearby drugstore and made arrangements with them to send for me if anyone should call me.”

“Fine!” said the old lawyer, who had known Marjorie for years. “You have quite a business head, my child.”

Marjorie laughed.

“I feel very young and inefficient,” she said. “But I’ve tried to think things out beforehand. And, Mr. Melbourne, there’s just one more thing. Would you have any connection in this city that would give you influence to get an opening for my father somewhere here? He’s very much discouraged. He had a very fine position and lost it through the death of the head of the firm, which resulted in the firm’s dissolving, and he hasn’t been able to get in anywhere since. He is a very quiet man, and not one who would push himself to the front, nor sound his own trumpet, but I have seen letters he has, and I know he was considered very fine in his line.”